


more common than breathing

by toomoon (jjjat3am)



Category: Buzz (Korea Band), Wanna One (Band), 아는 형님 | Knowing Bros | Ask Us Anything
Genre: Age Difference, Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 13:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17122604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjjat3am/pseuds/toomoon
Summary: “Where are your members?” Kyunghoon asks, watching Minhyun.“On their way home,” Minhyun says, his voice quiet but stronger. “I sent them on ahead.”“I see,” Kyunghoon says, even if he doesn’t see anything at all. However, asking Minhyun what he’s actually doing here, in his dressing room, might mean he’d have to confront it, and he definitely does not want to do that.or,coda to episode 156: Wanna One





	more common than breathing

**Author's Note:**

> This was entirely inspired by the extremely awkward flirting between Minhyun and Kyunghoon during episode 156 of Knowing Bros. If you haven't watched it yet, it's subbed [here](http://kshow123.net/show/knowing-brother/episode-156.html) on kshows123. 
> 
> If you don't feel like watching the whole thing, the relevant clips are [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvJKyRMc9ds), [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8EU7bPlrAw) and [here](https://youtu.be/QcftVmxcmOE?t=81). After vigurous study of the provided materials I have decided that they are in love and so this fic was born.
> 
> Title is taken from Buzz's Coward (look up the lyrics to it, seriously, Minhyun deadass let it all hang out). There's also more links to relevant videos in the notes.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is not a fanfic written by Seo Janghoon, basketball legend and TV personality. I repeat, this is not, in fact, Seo Janghoon’s secret ao3 account with which he writes fanfiction about his co-stars and any suggestion otherwise is only lies and slander.
> 
> Enjoy!

  
  
  


There’s a knock on the door of Kyunghoon’s dressing room and it startles him from the intense inspection of his nose pores. He’s been stuck in it ever since he’d removed some of the heavy stage makeup. He’s used to it by now, but it still feels weird to go from seeing none of your blemishes to seeing all of them in a stroke of makeup remover.

 

It’s late. Ask Us Anything doesn’t finish taping as late as some of the other programmes that Janghoon complains about, but there probably aren’t many people left to wander the hallways of the JTBC building at this hour. Certainly not many that would knock on the door of Kyunghoon’s tiny private dressing room. The only people he could think of were his manager or Heechul, and the latter was busy while the former wouldn’t bother to knock. 

 

He gets up to open the door anyway. Minhyun blinks down at him from where he’s already half turning away.

 

“Oh,” Minhyun says like he’s the one surprised to be standing there, “hi.”

 

“Hi,” Kyunghoon says back, trying and failing to come up with a good reason that would bring a member of an extremely popular idol group in front of his dressing room in what is essentially the middle of the night.

 

Minhyun looks leaner in the pale neon lights of the hallway. He’s changed out of the uniform and into his street clothes, and the stage makeup has been replaced by its more natural version. 

 

Silence descends between them, as Kyunghoon searches frantically for something smart to say, while Minhyun seems content enough to stare at him with his big dark eyes.

 

“Um,” Kyunghoon finally says, “would you like to come in?”

 

Minhyun’s Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. “Yes,” he says, and Kyunghoon moves aside to let him in. They don't brush against each other in the small space.

 

“I’m sorry it’s such a mess,” Kyunghoon says, moving to push off some clothes and props off of the small couch in the corner, “Heechul leaves his shit here because Janghoon doesn’t let him bring it into his dressing room.”

 

There’s a vast collection of things that Heechul’s left in Kyunghoon’s dressing room over the seasons, including half a mannequin, a globe with dirty words penciled in instead of country names and a suspicious black briefcase that Kyunghoon has never dared to open, in case he ever got questioned by the police.

 

“But you let him?” Minhyun asks, his voice soft. “Leave his stuff here, I mean.”

 

Kyunghoon smiles at him, uncomfortably aware of how red his ears must be. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of a pushover.”

 

Minhyun laughs and some of the tension bleeds out of the room. Kyunghoon gestures him to sit on the couch and he does, perched awkwardly on the edge with his hands in his pockets as Kyunghoon retakes his seat in front of the mirror.

 

“Where are your members?” Kyunghoon asks, watching Minhyun.

 

“On their way home,” Minhyun says, his voice quiet, but stronger. “I sent them on ahead.”

 

“I see,” Kyunghoon says, even if he doesn’t see anything at all. However, asking Minhyun what he’s actually doing here, in his dressing room, might mean he’d have to confront it, and he definitely does not want to do that. “Then, do you need a ride home? I drove myself here today.”

 

“Ah, really?” Minhyun asks, eyes widening. Immediately after, his expression closes off and he looks to the floor. “You don’t have to, though. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Kyunghoon says quickly. “Where is your dorm?”

 

Minhyun tells him the address. “That’s actually on my way. No burden at all.” It’s actually in the exact opposite direction of his home, but he’s not about to tell Minhyun that, not when his face brightens with happiness.

 

“Then I’d be glad to ride with you,” Minhyun says, so earnest that it makes Kyunghoon’s face burn.

 

He turns back to the mirror to disguise it, ends up staring in dismay at his smudged face. 

 

“I should take the rest of this off before we go,” he says and Minhyun makes a quiet affirmative noise. It’s cute.

 

He takes out another cotton pad, putting on a small amount of makeup remover. His eyes meet with Minhyun’s in the mirror and Kyunghoon fumbles with the bottle, ends up almost dropping it. Minhyun is watching him with contained intensity, eyes dark.

 

Kyunghoon scrubs at his face frowning as the makeup clings stubbornly to his skin. “What did they use to draw this on, permanent marker?” he mutters to himself. 

 

Minhyun huffs out a quiet laugh. “I think maybe you could use more of the remover,” he says, “our makeup artist always says that if your face isn’t soaked after you remove it, you didn’t have enough makeup on in the first place.”

 

“Ah, you think so?” Kyunghoon says, eyeing the makeup remover bottle suspiciously. “I probably have a lot more caked on my face than you get, since they have to cover up all the wrinkles.”

 

He says it as a joke, but Minhyun isn’t smiling in the mirror. “I think Kyunghoon is very handsome,” he says quietly.

 

Kyunghoon swallows heavily in the ensuing silence, too aware of the sweat pooling in the dip of his collarbone and the heat in his cheeks. He looks away. 

 

There’s the sound of movement behind him and when he looks up, Minhyun is standing much closer.

 

“Let me help you,” Minhyun says, and the switch to sudden confidence is so jarring that Kyunghoon surrenders the bottle without protest.

 

Minhyun has long, well-formed fingers. As he swipes the cotton pad across his face in practiced motions, Kyunghoon can’t help remembering how those hands felt folded under his earlier, with twenty cameras pointing in their direction. 

 

Now they’re alone, with no one to interfere with a witty remark and the tension is threatening to choke him. 

 

“All done,” Minhyun announces and Kyunghoon blinks up at him as if surfacing from a daze.

 

“Oh,” he says, staring at the now more familiar face in the mirror, “thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Minhyun says quietly before retreating back to the couch, shyness returning. The blush has moved on from his ears and all the way down to his neck, disappearing below the collar of his shirt. 

  
  


*

  
  


Their walk to the building’s underground garage is quiet. Minhyun brought a mask with him but so far they haven’t met a single soul on their way, and it’s just sort of dangling awkwardly from his fingers. Kyunghoon is fixating on strange things.

 

He can’t help it - if it’s not the small piece of cloth, then it would be Minhyun’s hands, or the pale skin on the back of his neck, or his mouth, full and pink. 

 

Kyunghoon tugs on his collar to loosen it, suddenly too hot in his shirt and sweater vest. There’s a quiet sound off to his right and he looks up to catch Minhyun quickly looking away. 

 

His face brightens when they get to Kyunghoon’s car. “This is a good model,” he says and runs his hand down the back of the car. “I bet it drives well.”

 

“You like cars?” Kyunghoon says and it comes out as more of a statement than a question. He doesn’t know why he’s surprised. Minhyun settles into the passenger seat next to him, carefully buckling his seatbelt.

 

“I really love cars,” Minhyun confirms, smiling, “and driving. I just got my license before all of this happened. Now they don’t let me drive.”

 

He moves his hands in an encompassing motion, looking a little sad, and Kyunghoon nods in understanding, even though he only has the slightest idea. It’s almost a relief to have to focus on the road instead of Minhyun’s face.

 

“I think that after, I’ll use my payment to buy a nice car,” Minhyun continues. It’s the most Kyunghoon has heard him speak all day. “Maybe something like this.”

 

He sweeps his fingers down the dashboard admiringly and Kyunghoon almost misses his exit. 

 

“It does drive well,” he says, sensing Minhyun’s expectant look, “I’m not an expert like you and I still don’t drive very often, but it gets me where I need to go.”

 

“I’m not an expert,” Minhyun mutters, giving Kyunghoon the impression that he’s blushing again. “I just like reading about this sort of stuff. Imagine I’m the one driving and things like that.”

 

“Would you like to try?” Kyunghoon asks on impulse. “Driving it, I mean.”

 

They stop at a red light and he turns in time to catch the look of naked longing on Minhyun’s face. “I’d love to,” he says, “but I don’t think I should.”

 

_‘I’ve already broken too many rules today,’_ goes unspoken but lands loudly between them. Kyunghoon nods, swallowing heavily.

 

“You’re probably right,” he says and, because he doesn’t know when to stop digging a hole for himself, adds, “maybe once you get your new car, you can take me on a drive.”

 

“I’d like that,” Minhyun says, his voice taking on a breathless quality. “We could drive down to the beach, go along the coast for a while. The view must be nice.”

 

Kyunghoon makes a quiet noise of agreement. There’s something squeezing in his chest, almost painful, at the hopeful tone of Minhyun’s voice. If Kyunghoon were ten years younger he might have said ‘fuck it’ and driven all night along the coast, just to wipe the melancholy off Minhyun’s face entirely. But he isn’t twenty-five and this isn’t a drama. Thank god, because Kyunghoon would have made a terrible lead, even if Minhyun certainly has the looks to play the romantic interest.

 

“...sorry, for rambling,” Minhyun says, real embarrassment in his voice. “You must think I’m so silly.”

 

“I don’t,” Kyunghoon protests. “You can say anything you want and I’ll be the last person to think you’re silly.”

 

“Really?” Minhyun asks and he doesn’t sound convinced. 

 

“Haven’t you heard? I’m really weird,” Kyunghoon says. They stop at a red light and he turns to Minhyun, sticking out his tongue to illustrate his point. It makes Minhyun laugh, a loud giggle that sounds like it’s surprised out of him. Kyunghoon settles back into his seat, pleased.

 

In the background, the car radio has been quietly playing music off Kyunghoon’s playlist. Kyunghoon knows it’s not what you’d call up-to-date. There are too many old songs on it for it to be, some from before Minhyun was even born and some from before Kyunghoon was born too. Still, Minhyun seems to know a decent amount of them, humming along and even quietly singing in the gradually more comfortable silence that settles between them.

 

“I don’t know this one,” Minhyun suddenly says, “is this you?”

 

Kyunghoon tunes back into the music, embarrassed to realize what it is. “Yeah, that’s Buzz’s new EP.”

 

“Wow,” Minhyun says, and the awed tone of his voice makes Kyunghoon smile, “this isn’t even out yet, right? Am I even allowed to be listening to it?”

 

The answer is a resounding no. In fact, if Yejoon heard what he was doing, he’d probably hunt Kyunghoon down and murder him before they could even make a comeback. The right thing to do would be to turn it off right away and ask Minhyun to forget all about it.

 

“Eh, it’s fine,” is what Kyunghoon says instead. “As long as you don’t leak it.”

 

“I wouldn’t!” Minhyun says, firm. “It sounds so good, I’ll want to listen to it all the time. So you better release it soon.”

 

“Thank you,” Kyunghoon says, a pleasant warm feeling spreading in his chest. 

 

“I told you, I’m a fan,” Minhyun says, before becoming absorbed in the music.

 

And he really is a fan, Kyunghoon is surprised to realize. Minhyun knows his music. He also seems to know music in general, which probably shouldn’t come as a surprise either. He listens attentively and asks insightful questions, about the lyrics and vocal techniques, and the drums, which Kyunghoon can’t even begin to answer.

 

Too soon, they’re almost at the exit they’re supposed to take to get back to Minhyun’s dorm. 

 

“Actually,” Minhyun says, and his voice has changed from inquisitive to abjectly nervous, “if it’s not too much of an inconvenience…” he hesitates, his nervous gulp loud in the silence between songs, “...could we keep driving for a little bit longer? I haven’t heard the whole album yet.”

 

Over the course of the evening, there’d been multiple chances for Kyunghoon to just say no. He’s certain that Minhyun wouldn’t have been angry at him, would have taken the rejection and backed off. This feels almost like his last chance to let him down gently and take him back to the dorm, free to only occasionally spot him from afar at some award show. 

 

Minhyun is a good kid. He deserves honesty and someone who can treat him right. He certainly doesn’t need a weird recluse ten years his senior. Kyunghoon’s instincts are screaming at him to get it together, to do the right thing.

 

“Sure,” Kyunghoon says instead, and if he were standing, Minhyun’s answering smile would have knocked him straight off his feet. There’s probably a song in there somewhere. “Are you hungry?”

 

“I could eat,” Minhyun says, shy and pleased, and Kyunghoon despairs at himself.

  
  


*

  
  


They pull into a McDonald's Drive-In because it’s a few minutes away and Kyunghoon’s mind is fresh out of other ideas. There is no way that this is a new experience for Minhyun but he looks around with such a wide-eyed expression that it makes him wonder.

 

“You can get anything you want,” Kyunghoon tells him, feeling his face go hot. It comes out less confident that he’d hoped for. Minhyun stares at the menu and Kyunghoon wonders what he’s thinking about. He ends up ordering for both of them, Minhyun shyly sinking into his seat to avoid being recognized by the cashier. 

 

Kyunghoon doesn’t want to think about the rumors that would spread if Minhyun was seen in his car, the night after overtly flirting with him at a show taping. Wonders how many of those rumors would get it right.

 

He parks under a street light so they’ll have enough light to eat by once he turns off the engine. He isn’t the type of person to worry about making a mess of his car when eating, but Minhyun is, judging by how he pulls a bottle of hand sanitizer out of nowhere, brandishing it in Kyunghoon’s direction until he agrees to use it. He cleans up after they eat too, wiping down the dashboard with a spare napkin and even dabbing the carpet for stray crumbs, then settling back into his chair with a satisfied expression once it’s all clean.

 

Kyunghoon hasn’t been this fascinated by someone in a long time.

 

They settle into an awkward silence after the meal. It feels late, in the darkness of the empty parking lot. 

 

Kyunghoon doesn’t exactly know how it happens. It’s like one moment he’s staring at Minhyun’s fidgeting hands and in the next he’s got him on his lap, tasting the salt off his lips. 

 

Minhyun’s hand is sure and confident against his cheek, in contrast to the sloppy, too-careful way he kisses. Kyunghoon runs his palm across the expanse of his flank, struck dumb by how it makes Minhyun’s whole body tremble. Minhyun presses closer, definitely uncomfortable with his body contorted across the handbrake and Kyunghoon reaches out for him, slipping his fingers under the sheer white of his button down to touch warm skin-

 

Minhyun’s elbow slips, pressing against the car horn and the loud noise makes them spring apart, breathing heavily. 

 

“Fuck,” Kyunghoon breathes out in the quiet, his vocabulary reduced to curses and the shape of Minhyun’s mouth. 

 

Minhyun misunderstands his hesitation.

 

“I’m sorry,” he says, voice breathless and frantic, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I…”

 

His voice trails off into silence, mouth moving with no sound. Kyunghoon makes a valiant attempt to gather his wits from where they’ve fled the moment Minhyun’s mouth touched his.

 

“It’s okay,” he says.

 

Minhyun looks at him hopelessly, eyes wide and entirely dark, and Kyunghoon hates to admit it, but the visual is really working for him.

 

“Actually,” he starts, mouth uncomfortably dry, “it would be more comfortable if we moved this to the backseat. If you wanted to.”

 

If possible, Minhyun’s eyes go even wider. “Yes,” he says, repeating it almost in a chant, “yes, please!”

 

Kyunghoon opens his door and jumps to his feet, circling the car to meet Minhyun in time to grasp the front of his shirt and push him down into the back seat, closing the door behind him. The windows are tinted so he isn’t afraid of anyone seeing them. The car lights had turned off, leaving the streetlights as the only source of light in the enclosed space. It turns everything a strange shade of yellow, the edges of Minhyun’s face soft and unreal.

 

Kyunghoon adjusts so Minhyun isn’t bearing the brunt of his body weight, but it still leaves them pressing close, Minhyun’s chest rising and falling too quickly.

 

“I don’t…” Minhyun starts, then cuts himself off, looking up at him plaintively, as if Kyunghoon is supposed to read his mind and know what he wants.

 

“We could start with kissing if that’s okay?” Kyunghoon says, careful, and Minhyun’s expression clears.

 

“Yes, please,” he whispers, always so polite, and this time its Kyunghoon that leans down to press their mouths together.

 

Minhyun is a quick learner, his mouth less sloppy and deliberately following Kyunghoon’s lead. It doesn’t take much until he’s a mess, rubbing up against Kyunghoon’s thigh and making sharp cut off sounds. It’s good, Kyunghoon guiding his movements with a firm hand on his bottom and kissing the sounds off his lips. 

 

Later on, he’ll remember the night in flashes. 

 

Minhyun’s face, half in shadow, expression sharpened from the haze to pull Kyunghoon closer on top of him. The soft warm expanse of Minhyun’s chest and the mark Kyunghoon leaves where his blush ends. Their fingers entwined, Minhyun holding on hard enough to hurt. Minhyun’s mouth, wet and bitten red. Minhyun’s eyes, his teeth, the perfect shape of his clavicle. Minhyun, everywhere Minhyun, the distant sound of traffic barely audible over their labored breathing.

  
  


*

 

Most of the ride back to Minhyun’s dorm is spent in comfortable silence. It’s a good thing that Kyunghoon has the road to focus on, otherwise, he’d keep getting distracted by Minhyun, sprawled across the passenger seat.

 

Even so, he can’t help glancing at him from the corner of his eye, helplessly enamored by the pleased curve of his smile and the distracted way he touches his fingers to his red mouth when he thinks Kyunghoon isn’t looking.

 

“This is me,” Minhyun breaks the silence and directs him over to a generic apartment building. Kyunghoon leaves the car idling, looking over at Minhyun fussing with his seatbelt, at a sudden loss.

 

“Thank you for the food,” Minhyun says, quietly, “and for letting me listen to your album even when I wasn’t supposed to.”

 

“Thank you for your company,” Kyunghoon returns, and the words feel awkward in his mouth. Minhyun, he notices, is blushing again.

 

“I’ll put this in the garbage,” Minhyun says, indicating the paper bag with the remnants of their meal. He sounds firm like Kyunghoon will try to stop him, “so you won’t have to worry about it.”

 

“Ah, thank you,” Kyunghoon says, but the conversation feels hopelessly empty and he’s not quite sure what to do about it.

 

Minhyun nods, reaching towards the car door. Kyunghoon opens his mouth, with no clue as to what’s going to come out, but Minhyun turns around and cuts him off.

 

“Can I have your number?” he asks, all in a rush. “I’m a lot better at all of this over text.”

 

Kyunghoon gives him a confused look, but Minhyun doesn’t elaborate. He still gives Minhyun his number though, charmed by how focused he is on typing it in correctly. 

 

He gives in to the impulse to press a careful kiss to the corner of Minhyun’s mouth, figures it’s the right decision at the pleased smile it surprises out of him.

 

“I’ll see you around,” Minhyun says, smiling.

 

“I’ll see you,” Kyunghoon echoes, aware and embarrassed of his own too-wide smile. 

 

Minhyun gets out of the car and gives him a wave before hurrying up the stairs and out of sight. Kyunghoon notices a curtain twitch in one of the last lit up windows and makes a mental note to avoid being left alone with any of the other Wanna One members for the foreseeable future. It’ll only take one look at Minhyun, at his puffy lips and dazed expression, for everyone to know exactly what the two of them did. 

 

Despite everything, the thought puts a smile on his face.

  
  


*

  
  


A couple of hours later, Kyunghoon wakes up to a long text message from Minhyun that makes him blush furiously and bury his face into the pillow. All of a sudden, he feels eleven years younger.

  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> Did you feel the awkward flirty dynamic during the episode? How is my Minhyun, does he feel plausible? I've not been in the fandom for long enough to feel familiar with his fanon characterization so I just did my own thing with him. 
> 
> If you liked this and want to support me funneling rarepairs into this fandom, leave me a comment below. Lets sail this ship together.
> 
> Biggest thanks to Mina for yelling with me about this pairing and for looking it over and deeming it acceptable for public consumption. I love you to pieces.
> 
> Notes:  
> \- according to Minhyun in [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhrJBXT3MxA) Happy Together segment, he's never been in a relationship, except for one that was text messenger based.  
> \- the previous segment as well as [this one](https://youtu.be/PsTfsnfqSUk?t=640) gave birth to Text Hwang, which I wanted to include in here so badly because it's so relatable  
> \- Minhyun did actually say in an interview that he likes cars and wants to buy one with his Wanna One money but I can't find it so you'll just have to believe me  
> \- Buzz's new EP _15_ came out December 14th, so including it is like? Tentatively possible?  
> \- I made a [kpop-centric twitter](https://twitter.com/taeshedwigtat), if you want to join me. I mainly tweet about fic I'm planning to write.


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